Mr Lincoln's Army

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Mr. Lincoln's Army is a great book about the great man that you should read if you are like myself interested in the life and times of President Abraham Lincoln.

An Illinois State Legislator and Illinois member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Married with 4 children, the man was actually born in Kentucky on February 12th,1809. He will move with family to Indiana when he is about nine.

He would finally arrive in Illinois when he was 21. The family originally in Kentucky was very well off, owning land titles... that were later stripped and lost in court. The family moves and losses such his mother at only 34 years of age begins, molding and forging the man that in short time must "Hold Together the Union."

Known to be articulate and affectionate was Lincoln. A young girl named Grace Bedell of Westfield, N.Y. once wrote Lincoln a letter suggesting he grow a beard to help him win the upcoming presidential election, as his face "was so thin" and "the ladies liked whiskers".

He would read and reply to this letter. He did in fact grow his whiskers and when passing through N.Y. on a train, he stopped and they met. They say an old man strained through the crowd to get to the president towing a young girl about 12 years old. Lincoln stooped down and they talked for several minutes. She would write Lincoln again in 1864 when she was 15, asking for advice and assistance. What a story she had to tell until her death in 1936 after years of interviews and events.

Such are the great stories told about Lincoln by Bruce Catton. However, the great man had to deal with so many challenges as soon as he arrives in the Presidency in on March 4th, 1861. Seven states have already seceded with 8 additional "border states" threatening secession.

Now he must build an army. Finding the correct officers and communicating the needs of the politicians and the people will prove extremely difficult. To the point that Union officers do not do their duty, and put the fight to the rebels. Read Mr.Lincoln's Army and follow Mr.Lincoln as strives to do the best he can do to hold he union together.

Mr. Lincoln's Army by Bruce Catton. One of the finest books by one the best writers of American Civil War history.

My personal feelings are that we cannot thank Mr. Lincoln enough. Choices that were almost impossible to make had to be made. He did his best keeping the Union together. A terrible tragedy so many of America's youth from both north and south had to be sacrificed on the alter of freedom.

See this great book by Bruce Catton at http://thecivil-war.com/bruce-catton/. Civil War resources at http://thecivil-war.com/ including Civil War resources for teachers.

Ivory Simone Talks About Her Novel 'Havasu Means Blue Water'

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Author/Activist Ivory Simone has forged a gripping story that masters the importance of speech and dialogue relaying the emotions and strengths of the solid characters presented in the tale of Lyla Amir whose research for her master's thesis brings the past into the present.

'Havasu Means Blue Water' examines the long ago lynching of a black farmer and his wife but while this is the main foundation of the story we are introduced to subplots linked to the contemporary story of Lyla, her research and her life.

The story, past and present, of fictional Wilburn, AZ where the subjects of Lyla's research lived and died is both repellant and bittersweet. It is also where Lyla finds strength and an unexpected ally.

Ivory talks with us about writing 'Havasu Means Blue Water'

Lynnette Phillips - What inspired you to write Havasu Means Blue Water?

Ivory Simone - My family history. I grew up listening to my grandfather who told me stories about his grandfather--a black Indian who came out of slavery as a boy. I found a 1780s census record with my great-great-grandfather's name and background information. The record confirms my grandfather's oral history was correct. This family history took on new meaning when I worked for a Native American Tribe years later. Both of these invents laid the foundation for Havasu Means Blue Water.

LP - Does "havasu" mean blue water?

IS - Yes, it does. In the Mojave language it means "blue water". One of the characters in the story is a descendant of a Mojave tribe decimated by disease and other anti-Indian government policies.

LP --Why should readers buy your book?

IS -- It's a snapshot of the cultural wars we see in the Southwest--in places like my home state of Arizona. The inhabitants of the fictional town of Wilburn, Arizona are threatened by outsiders. They have a history of crushing groups who are different. However, the violence unleashed against outsiders is also used against the women and children of the town. Hate is a monster that's never satisfied. When it runs out of enemies to eat, it'll start devouring its own. Havasu Means Blue Water is a cautionary tale about the price a society pays for remaining passive in the face of racial and cultural intolerance.

LP -- "The legacy of injustice" will be the topic in two author Facebook chats that'll be held on July 10th and July 16th at 3:00 p.m. (EST). Why is this an important issue?

IS - I want people to think about what happens to a community when a grave injustice is allowed to fester. I want people to talk about what they can do to promote the healing of any festering wounds of injustice that divide and weaken their own communities. Justice is not optional--it's essential to the well-being of a community and its people.

LP -- The love between the two murdered victims, Mary Alice and Nathaniel Venerable, is central to the novel, why?

IS -- I believe love is the greatest force on earth. It's far greater than hate, far greater than the tyranny of violence. We first meet Mary Alice and Nathaniel as victims. However, I want readers to remember them for the deep love they shared. It's their love story that reaches out from the grave to influence the living, to propel events that bring about change.

LP -- Mother-daughter relationships are also explored quite a bit in the novel. The relationship between Lyla Amir, the heroine of the story and her mother and the relationship between Amber Goody and Bonnie Good, a dysfunctional daughter and mother--are both important threads in the plot. Why?

IS -- I'm a daughter and a mother of daughters. A daughter's relationship with her mother helps determine the type of women she'll grow-up to be. I wanted to show how certain acts and omissions mothers/women make in their lives shape the women their daughters become.

LP -- Lyla Amir is an unusual heroine. She's an Arab-American of mixed parentage (her mother is African-American) investigating the murder of a black farmer and his wife. Her heritage is one of the story lines that adds tension to events that unfold in the novel. Why did you make her Arab-American.

IS -- Lyla Amir's heritage is important because I believe Arab Americans now understand what Black Americans already know--what it feels like to be an undesirable "other". Lyla self-identifies as black but she has racially ambiguous features. This presents problems for her when she goes to Wilburn. It's her Arab heritage that becomes the source of hatred and conflict for her.

LP - The question of identity is also one of the issues Firestone Matise, the descendant of Mary Alice and Nathaniel Venerable, faces, too. Why?

IS -- I think people are quick to label others based on appearance alone. I wanted to challenge the notion we can know a person's history based on his or her racial profile. Racial stereotypes get in the way of Americans' ability to form positive relationships with one another. The browning of America will make such thinking a liability in the future. I believe that's a good thing in the long run

LP -- What do you want readers to know about Ivory Simone?

IS - I'm a writer and poet who dreams a lot. I have a vivid and active dream life that makes my journey in the world fascinating and sometimes strange.

LP -- What's it like living in Bangkok, Thailand?

IS -- There's never a dull moment. More importantly, I'm able to move about in relative safety and ease.

Thank you, Ivory, for talking with us and for your wonderful novel 'Havasu Means Blue Water'

Lynnette Phillips offers Book Marketing services as both a Coach and Consultant and also Professional Editing services. She has authored several Book Marketing and Self-Publishing Guides. She also maintains two blogs http://lynnettesbookworld.blogspot.com/ and http://lynnettesbookmarketing.blogspot.com/. You may reach her by email at laphillips52@gmail.com

(c) Copyright 2011 by Lynnette Phillips All Rights Reserved
Article may be reprinted freely as long as the author bylines and info box are included. The article itself may not be altered.

History Offers a View of Nature

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Living in upstate New York, I've acclimated to this 2011 winter's zero degree weather by reading books inside the warmer house, with a kitty on my lap. I've just finished reading:

• The History of God, by Karen Armstrong
• A People's History of the World, by Christ Harman
• The Stuff of Thought, a history of language, by Steven Pinker

It's only a coincidence the books fall into the genre of history, but they fascinatingly complemented one another, keeping my interest piqued.

Karen Armstrong's research into the knowledge of God and its impact on the worlds three main religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, severed theology from eternity. Theologies are human-made and fluctuate as often as the weather. The History of God seemed to agree with my opinion that outmoded doctrines and restrictive traditions bring disrepute to religions. Armstrong warns against fundamentalism and encourages faith-a faith and audacity to exchange human ideologies for transcendent views of God, reality.

Harman's book, A People's History of the World, is fat, pregnant with social and political history apparently forming and reforming human nature. Discourses on religion and God are scattered throughout the book, pointing to the probability that the people's way of life, health, and systems of government indirectly mimic their concept of God, some good, some not so good.

Reading Pinker's The Stuff of Thought was like scuba-diving. It required serious exertion and concentration; resisting a ponderous oxygen tank from pulling you backward; remembering to breathe counter-intuitively through your mouth, and, abstaining from immediate verbal expressions when glimpsing an awesome view, in order not to swallow a mouthful of salty water. The history of language is entirely different from the history of words and Pinker analyzed language from many perspectives, concluding there is no complete adequate language to convey truth. Pinker is amazingly practical, humorous, and realistic.

I recommend The History of God to readers who are interested in reconciling religion to God. Religion can be beneficial when not mistaken for truth.

I recommend A People's History of the World to readers on the verge of escaping the prison of repeating deadening past activity.

I recommend The Stuff of Thought to people who value the open-mindedness of an educated engaging author.

My conclusion: History serves as a window into nature. But readers must decide which nature. Trying to understand the human nature is as promising as understanding falling snow. Admittedly, snow is no longer considered a miracle but is now known as a component of the water cycle. But this knowledge is plagued by human concerns. Too little snow causes droughts. Too much snow is a pain to deal with on the roads. Knowledge of the human nature is not satisfying.

The human struggle against concerns, hunger, suffering, and mind-numbing traditions cease only as I use history as a window into the spiritual nature. And, I did find evidence of spirituality in these good reads! Bravery, balance, insight, hindsight, compassion, morality, reform, honesty, integrity were not only obvious, but also inspiring, to the point I felt the reality of the spiritual nature.

Cheryl Petersen advocates spiritual thought before action. Cheryl blogs at http://www.healingsciencetoday.com/.

In This Hospitable Land Written By Lynmar Brock, Jr

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A spectacular history lesson telling how families in Europe, specifically those from Belgium and France, existed during WWII. The story is fiction but based on true facts and true people in their desperate struggle to keep their families alive and safe. The struggle to keep ahead of the Nazi's when the war started for those living in Belgium became an hour to hour situation, never knowing for sure which way the German's were heading, but always knowing that their search for Jews was the German's utmost goal. Hitler had spread the word down to all his commands to capture anyone that was Jewish or even part Jewish. They would then transport them to interment camps where, depending on their age, sex, and value to helping the Nazi's, they were killed or kept to work for the Nazi's.

Andre' Sauverin was a professor at the Free University in Brussels. Andre' and his family were from a Jewish family and he knew they would be targeted by the Nazi's because of their looks. Immediately the bombings started forcing all that could reach a shelter into the nearest place of safety, even though it might be only a crude place. In those first days the rush to flee the city became of the utmost urgency. Andre' and his brother Alex gathered their families and started the exodus towards France where they thought they would be safe for a while. All modes of transportation were jammed as were the roads with many fleeing their homeland to keep their families safe as long as possible. Andre' and Alex gathered their families and took their old Buick with a trailer attached behind for all their goods for which they had space. Their long travel was extremely difficult as they negotiated many mountain passes and trails. The days were long and the nights longer. Andre' and Alex laid out the best possible methods of travel to get their families through each day hoping for a safe place to stay at night and for some food to keep them nourished. They took what little food they had but it didn't last long. Some nights they were fortunate to find shelter, and even more rare, some food. Churches along the route helped tremendously as many pastors were a part of the resistance slowly being organized to resist the takeover of their nation. The problem was knowing who to trust and who would turn you in.

The trek by any means available from public transportation where available, to scarce automobiles, to horse-drawn carts, to walking was used while trying to avoid the German's and those that the German's made part of a controlling police force to assist in capturing Jews. Those in local governments were told they must help enforce the German law in all of Belgium, some willingly and many not so. The travels through Belgium and eventually France were long and hard.

They took the less traveled roads to avoid capture. Andre' had to leave to return to check on the Free University and his fellow professors. When he got there he was told that the university was closed for safety sake and all were to leave the area. The family had a stash of diamonds that they hid not knowing if those diamonds might save their lives some day or obtain food when all other sources were depleted.

Eventually they had to hide the Buick in an old barn and they continued on to race against time. They were advised many times where to go and who to trust but life was so hard as they, and many other refugees from Belgium felt insecure as they were continually notified that the German's and those helping them were searching the areas near where they traveled. The families were split apart, even some of each family had to go elsewhere thus breaking up Andre' and Alex's families even more.

The story has to be read fully to understand what these brave people went through in wartime. So many times when you thought you were safe you would hear of atrocities in nearby towns that thankfully you escaped this time. I thank Lynmar Brock, Jr. so much for giving us this story of brave people and how they existed as a family. As with every family there are deaths, illness, growing pains, maturity, reaching out to each other for help, and all other things that normally occur in lives but these were not normal lives at all.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program

(A) the Seventeenth Century Trade-En Tour of Vermeer's Hat by Timothy Brook

Vermeer's Hat by Timothy Brook is not really about Vermeer, or hats, or art for that matter. It's a book about sixteenth century-style globalization. Using elements from a few of the Dutchman's "-plus some others from the period, the author identifies evidence of global trade, of the economic history of a century that saw the opening up of the commerce on a scale the world had previously not known. And unlike the more academic studies of Wallerstein or Gunder Frank, Timothy Brook's book is accessible even to the casual reader. Its approach is highly original; its style is lucid and clear; its scholarship is nothing less than phenomenal.

Early in the text the author reminds us of the fundamental difference between the image and the passing narrative of art. "" Are not "taken", like photographs; " Timothy Brook writes, "they are" made ", carefully and deliberately and not to show an objective reality so much as to present a particular scenario. Objects in a painting are there for a reason. They are part of a narrative or comment that the artist chooses to relate, perhaps consciously. Our tasks as observers are mostly to interpret as well as images, as well as merely see. And make no mistake, the process is intellectual, not just aesthetic. With an admirable eye for detail, Timothy Brook thus analyses seventeenth century "for evidence of international trade. But this is only a starting point for a truly global tour.

(A) in the case of the beaver hat, for instance, leads him to relate the story of how French expeditions into Canada sought pelts to feed demand for high fashion in Europe. It was the beaver's fortune or misfortune to be born-perhaps with a fur that, when transformed into felt, remained waterproof, and hence not available its shape in the rain. The consequences of this trade-apart from the obvious ones for the beavers, included conflicts with indigenous people, followed by subjugation and, in some cases, annihilation.

(A) in the case of Chinese vengase, a Turkish carpet and other artefacts around the house lead to the history of trade with the east and thus into how China developed into a manufacturing centre that sucked in Spanish colonial silver from South America to pay for its wares. (A) discussion of the galleon trade leads to Spain's annexation of Manila and later the whole of the Philippines. In order to compete the Portuguese establish in Macau and the Dutch colonise the spiced islands.

What impresses the reader of Vermeer's Hat is Timothy Brook's skill-an artist's skill, no less-in assembling potentially disparate scenes into an engaging and ultimately convincing narrative. Economic history thus becomes an engaging story that makes perfect sense. By the end of the century the British were also on the scene, having taken advantage of victories over the competition.

We follow the spice trade, the spread of tobacco, trade in silk and ceramics and, of course, the lives of people who pursued and controlled the commerce. We learn how administrators and rulers reaped their own rewards, how illicit goods were smuggled in the same holds as declared cargoes;. We see fortunes made and lost, the ships sailed, created and destroyed reputations and sunk. And certainly we recognise the world as we know it, in a modern world where only the technology is different. Vermeer's Hat is a must for anyone who thinks that globalization might be a recent phenomenon.

Philip Spires Author of Mission and A Fool Knoten, African novels set in Kenya http://www.philipspires.co.uk/Migwani is a small town in the Kitui District, eastern Kenya. My books examine how social and economic change impact on the lives of ordinary people. They portray characters whose identity is bound up with their home area, but whose futures are determined by the globaised of the world in which they live.

Book Review For "The Conquering Passion"

Book Review for: "Conquering Passion"
Written by: Anna Markland
Self Published
ISBN: 978-0-9878673-0-8
Avail as: ebook and print book
4 Stars

Markland writes a sweeping epic of Norman with "Conquering Passion." Rambaud (Ram) de Montbryce is a Norman noble and a trusted assistant to William the Conqueror. His own heart refuses to be tamed until he meets Mabelle de Valtess, but dare they give into the passion she invokes?

The story is set against the countryside of Normandy 1066. The Ram is a young man and heir to his lands. His father arranges his marriage to a Norman noblewoman, Mabelle. Unfortunately, the Ram has no desire to marry, especially a woman who hasn't seen. He'd rather follow his lord, William, Duke of Normandy to England.

Is his way home to be married, the Ram finds a woman laying in the grass near a lake, coved by bluebells. It's Mabelle. Both parties mistake the scene. Ram returns to his castle and ' magic of the wedding, and her father insulting Mabelle. Within months he leaves to accompany William to England.

War gives the Ram a different perspective is life and he comes to realize what a gem they had found in the real Mabelle. William gives the Ram in the land in the Welsh Marches. Ram inspects his land and is injured by a Welsh Prince, Rhodri. As Ram, recovers in the home of a Saxon noblewoman, he finds comfort in her arms. Once he's well again, he goes to the Normandie intent is winning Mabelle's heart, but will his past actions and previous reluctance make going forward with his life a duty without pleasure or will they find true passion?

Markland has done her research and it shows. The setting's authentic feel makes the reader believe they're a squire in Ram's care along for the ride. The author uses a good economy of words to paint vivid descriptions of the time. The plot moves at a nice pace, never lingering.

The characters are interesting and likable. Mabelle is loyal and honest and it's easy to identify with her. Ram, a soldier of the time embodies, confident and heroic, but fickle when it comes to listening with his heart. The supporting cast of characters helps to round out the story and give the novel it's epic effect.

For me, the story feels more like the beginning of a family saga than a historical romance, since the Ram is not faithful in deeds to Mabelle. There were some formatting errors with the Kindle edition, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. There are several love scenes, while appropriate to the story, are not for the faint of heart.

"Conquering Passion" is full of greed, betrayal, loyalty, nobility, and love. The novel takes the reader is the first adventure of the Montbryce family.

Reviewed by: s. Burkhart

StephB is an author who likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at http://www.Writing.Com/which is a site for Creative Writing.

Enterprise, America's Fightingest Ship And The Men Who Helped Win World War II.

An excellent factual book that takes this fabulous ship from day of launching to the day she was scrapped. The Enterprise, as you will learn in this finely detailed book, had a torrid history in the Pacific area with only a few short jaunts elsewhere. If you are looking for a fictional war book, the Enterprise is NOT for you. Barrett Tillman has researched far and wide to obtain the history of the ship, its commanders over the years, the many other officers that assisted her, running the many sailors that available her shipshape, the various airplanes and pilots that lived, and some that died on or near her, the many sorties flown by her airmen, the many air battles against the Japanese in the air and on landthe attacks have many Japanese ships, and the losses of so many good men, the American and Japanese.

You will feel as though you are walking in the footsteps of these battle weary men whether they are on the ship, in the air, or on a brief leave to attempt to settle their minds and bodies. The men of the Enterprise actually never relaxed; they lived in the Enterprise as though she were a part of them and they were a part of the ship. The Enterprise was launched the October 3, 1936 as one of the original "fast carriers" in the American fleet. Compared to today's carriers the Enterprise was a midget but in those days she was a monster capable of holding her own in action. Helpful she was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese launched their attack on December 7, 1941, is a despicable, for those ships that were there suffered slight to mostly total destruction of ships and a huge loss of men.

This is a factual book gives a very vivid detailed description of her, her men, and her airplanes in action throughout the war. It details each battle, each type of aircraft and the updating of them as the war went, while giving the reader a history of the various areas in which the Enterprise was active. You will learn the many battles fought in the land, the sea is the island, and in the air to take back areas that the Japanese had captured in the beginning of the war. The Enterprise had quite a few commanders each with his own temperament and personality and interacted with the ships ' men as different as day and night. Speaking of night, the Enterprise was the first carrier to train and fly night missions, a very challenging act by pilots and directors, both launching and landing deck.

You will feel the hits the ship, both directly and indirectly, took from the depth of the carrier to the top of the ships ' island. Towards the end of the war the kamikazes flew into various ships to inflict the most damage while committing suicide, the ships were generally terribly damaged and suffered much loss of life. The action between ships when a convoy was moving together gave a lot of problems, some because of weather but mostly because of safety from attack is the ships closer together. When an airplane went down either by shooting by the Japanese or because of problems with the plane itself, some crews were rescued by a nearby ship, some were fortunate to be in a life raft and survived for days before help arrived, but some had no chance of survival. A few were captured by the Japanese and most of these Americans suffered through torture. Many of the air battles are described along with the problems with airplanes trying to stay close and be in contact with each other and/or the ships.

I think you have a good idea as to what to expect now in the "Enterprise" but no brief synopsis can do the book justice. You must read it if you are a history Brodin StreamBase, especially the naval and air parts of the military during World War II.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program